Thanks for your reply Ilia; your advice will be heeded. The lime that I used was supposed to be Type N, ( not Type S ), the label stated: Hydrated Lime, 92% Calcium Hydroxide...8% inert ingredients. I just can't afford the lime putty that you mentioned; wish I could ! And the workshop isn't in the cards for me either; wish it was! I'll definitely use more sand in the final layer on my next attempt, and also use more transparent layers to "build up" the darks. I was unable to find a good Green Earth for underpainting; both sources of pigments, that I know of, could no longer get "Terra Verde"; if that's what you mean by Verdaccio. But, I'm a bit confused about the initial painting; I've read that the strongest dark lines should be painted first, as the blacks or umbers need more time to 'sink in'...not so? For example, the outlines around the eyes of a portrait etc. Also, I left some intonaco surface unpainted to see what it would look like dry, and it was very beautiful; hard and crystal-like,...but where the colors were painted, the surface did not have that bright egg-shell quality. Does that sheen come later, or does that show that the pigments did not carbonize? Your insights are deeply appreciated.